Post Office Born: Franklin Leads America's Mail
Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress on July 26, 1775, building on a colonial postal network he had already reformed as deputy postmaster for the British crown. Franklin established reliable routes between major cities and introduced dead-letter offices and home delivery. George Washington later signed the Postal Service Act of 1792, which expanded the system to deliver newspapers at subsidized rates, a decision that historians credit with creating an informed citizenry capable of self-governance. The Post Office became the federal government's largest employer and the physical thread that connected a nation spread across a vast continent before railroads and telegraphs existed.
July 26, 1775
251 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on July 26
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Pope Clement V formally recognized Henry VII as King of the Romans, ending a period of imperial vacancy that had paralyzed central European politics. This papal…
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